Why are West Australian’s being left out of the Battery Storage Rebate?

The letter, the petition, the movement…

In case you haven’t heard, we have been on a solid and focused campaign trail to bring the battery storage rebate to WA and the injustice around this movement has got tongues wagging. Smashing our original goal of 500 signatures of our petition – with a current total of 731 (and counting) – we know our passion for this campaign is shared by the people of Perth.

We set out to find some answers around this conundrum…

Recently, our Managing Director, Craig Donohue met with the Hon Bill Johnston MLA (Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Energy; Industrial Relations) along with Senior Policy Advisors Yhana and David at Parliament House. Although the team listened to what we had to say about bringing the Battery Storage Rebate to WA and took the time to understand the cause, we think they still can’t see the trees for the forests.

Let’s reinforce & reiterate the message we were aiming to get across about home batteries:

Disruptive innovation is all around us and its happening fast, from the motel industry with Airbnb, to the taxi industry with the launch of Uber. Let’s not forget the retail industry with the launch of Amazon. With our markets and economics changing rapidly, we of course expect the same with our telco’s and our energy distribution suppliers. There is no doubt that the way electricity will be distributed in 10, 20 or 100 years’ time, will be completely different to the way that energy is distributed today. Companies like Synergy, Horizon and Western Power will not be the same companies they are today.

We see this future as a mix of technologies including wind, solar, pumped hydro and home batteries. The important thing is that we are moving towards a 100% renewable energy future, just like the rest of the modern world.

We believe that home batteries will be very beneficial to the grid and it will be a low-cost option for the government to subsidise home batteries as opposed to utility scale batteries.

Of course, it’s no secret that Clean NRG Solar have a vested interest in selling more home batteries, as does the entire solar and battery industry currently directly employing over 18,000 people and indirectly many more.

This is Clean NRG Solar’s 10th year in operation and we pride ourselves in being very in tune with our customers. We try and reflect your sentiments and feelings and we know that most of our customers feel very strongly and passionately about the environment. We all want to achieve a fossil free energy future with renewables at 100% – this is also evident by the recent protests in support of this.

Most of our customers are passionate about energy independence and reducing the cost of living. Home batteries will be a big boost to this way of thinking.

We also believe that the cost of a Home Battery Subsidy overall will be far less than the cost of installing utility scale batteries and making the grid robust enough to handle it. A Home Battery Subsidy will be a popular policy with home owners and renters alike.

Utility scale batteries placed around the suburbs would be an expensive exercise and will need to be funded 100% by the Government, as opposed to home batteries where most of the expense will be funded by the resident themselves.

We believe a home battery subsidy will be beneficial to homeowners for reducing their cost of living and will create many jobs. Many more jobs than the oil, gas and coal industries.

Let’s go into a little more detail about why Battery Storage is the best way to manage your home’s power and harness the energy generated by the sun…

Installing solar battery storage to harness the excess power generated by solar panels is the ideal great way to improve your electricity generation system’s performance all day, every day.

If your home currently has solar panels installed or if are looking to install solar panels, it is important to get the most out of your solar power system.

Here are some of the top benefits of adding solar battery storage to your home:

Use your power at any time, day or night

A big frustration for many solar power system owners is that they only produce electricity when the sun is shining. For many of us this means we are usually not home during this time from Monday to Friday.

Installing a battery means that the energy that your solar power system generates can be stored. The stored energy can be used any time, day or night. There are also times when shade or overcast weather will require you to draw power from the grid. This is another example of when it is convenient to draw stored power from your battery, rather than the grid.

Energy independence

Let’s face it, no one likes having to relying on electricity from the grid? It seems to be that the number of people who ‘strongly dislike’ their electricity provider seem to be growing rapidly. Having the ability to store energy allows you to be less dependent on the grid for additional power. Batteries will reduce the amount of power that you need to extract to meet your electricity needs.

Of course, a solar power system without a battery can help you do this as well – but solar power minus batteries is not as flexible as with batteries – the power must be used while it is being generated, or it will automatically feed back into the grid.

A solar battery solution added to your solar power system will help you keep the power for you and your family to use, day or night. It’s pretty cool to say you have energy independence from the grid.

There are also options on the market to look at a battery storage solution that can provide power to your home even when the grid is down with a battery back up system (you can ask us more about this option and if it suits your needs).

Solar battery storage is a great option if you live in an area that experiences frequent ‘brownouts’ or has an energy infrastructure that is weak. Solar batteries can help protect you from the energy problems you may experience under these circumstances.

It will help you to be more in control of your energy destiny.

Reduce your carbon foot print

It’s no secret that coal fired and fossil fuel electricity generation is seriously harmful to our environment. Your solar power system will continue to use fewer resources throughout the year while producing little to no waste and pollutionSo why not generate your own power for free from the sun and store it in your own battery, you will reduce your home’s carbon footprint significantly.

Every little bit helps!

Shhhhh, a quiet solution

No one likes to have to endure the sound of a power generator, particularly if it is installed near a living area in your home. Noisy generators run by fossil fuels can be very disturbing but solar batteries are silent.

Enjoy noise free power and not having to worry about bothering the neighbours. You can enjoy the stored electricity with no noise or air pollution produced by a generator. You also don’t have to store flammable fuel at your home, so you breathe easier – literally.

Lower your power bills

Installing batteries can help you to reduce your electricity bills significantly. With a solar energy system installed, Western Power is required to buy back any power that you create in excess of what you use at 7c/kWh. While this results in a slightly lower electric bill for you, using solar battery systems also result in a reduction of your energy bill because you consume less energy from the grid. The buyback is much less than what the energy is sold for, so it’s a much better option if you can store and use your own energy.

If you are like most solar owners, you’re more likely to pay attention to how and when you consume your electricity throughout the day. This awareness goes a long way towards helping you stay on top of your consumption habits and will help you save more money!

The time is near for the end of the .44c feed in tariff

If you are one of the lucky ones who managed to pick up the .44c feed in tariff ‘deal of the decade’, your luck is about to run out. These homes will see the value of their excess, exported solar energy drop significantly down to 7c/kWh – only a fraction of the retail electricity price and an even tinier portion of what they were previously receiving. Ouch – this is going to hurt!

Installing a battery storage system is a perfect solution for these homes and to feel less of a sting!

Impress your friends

The Tesla Powerwall and it’s counterparts will save you money but it is also very cool and futuristic as well. A wonderful conversation piece at the dinner party or BBQ that will undoubtedly make you the talk of the.

Just picture the expressions on your friend’s, colleague’s, neighbour’s faces when you proudly explain how it works and how it has revolutionised your energy consumption habits.

Our grid needs a brighter future

Installing home batteries means a more robust grid.

With an increase in the update of solar battery storage will come a shift in the way that Australia manages its energy. Individual homes and families will be not only buy energy from the grid, but will also be contributing energy to it.

For more information on battery storage call one of our experts at Clean NRG Solar on 9244 9200.